Storm Season | Shelha Series 2 | ✔

Our Own Ways

Whipper skidded from the rocks beneath a battlefield. Dead and injured Drakons rained down. At the center of it all was the great black and grey sphere, spinning like an out-of-control top. Whitewings hurled themselves at it, trying to get inside.

Some instinct hit Whipper like a waterfall, and he sprinted for the camp. Sethral's dive hit him like a Mountainair. His body was already fighting her, screaming to be let go. Silversand joined the fray. Cross took out a Drakon bearing down from above. Before Whipper could think, he had twisted out of Sethral's grip. She grabbed his hind paws. His teeth slashed across her forelegs and she let go with a yell. Silversand dove forwards, but Whipper knocked her aside.

Silversand screamed as something vaulted over her. Ryatzi snatched Whipper's scruff and Loki tackled him. They had nearly floored the Forester when Whipper whipped Ryatzi across the face and broke free. Without a pause, Ryatzi grabbed his tail. Whipper twisted on pure instinct and sank his teeth into the back of the Saberel's neck.

Ryatzi screamed. Loki's kick slammed him as he lunged for Whipper's spine; the Saberel was flung a tail-length away. He skidded to a halt and lay motionless. Before Whipper could recover from the shock, Loki knocked him out.

"I'll take him!" panted Silversand, skidding up beside them.

Loki offloaded Whipper onto the Royal's back and ran to Ryatzi. "Sorry, Spitfire," he panted, checking for broken ribs.

Above them, Chase, Cross and Ivy were beating off Drakons. Jay kept trying to reach Silversand as she scrambled over the rocks, but one Whitewing would not leave him alone. Wing yanked him back as the monster dove. It veered and went for Sethral instead. Chase shot under its nose and distracted it, then had to dive for cover.

Winter's Drakons were losing the battle. In one more attempt, they dove for the camp, and this time they reached it. The top of the ball exploded, flinging two Basilix into the air. They plunged back, trying to reach their sibling, but the Drakons closed the hole.

Then there was a brilliant flash, and a Whitewing reeled. Ivy plunged out of the way as a second flash blazed across the predator's face and it dropped, screeching and clawing at its eyes. Across the camp, a second Whitewing spun, wailing. A third's face flashed red. It rammed headlong into a boulder pile. Suddenly, there were flashes everywhere.

Hidden on up a rocky spire, Dogbane the Leslander heaped more sticks on the fire in the bowl before her. Her partner Grasseed scanned the sky over camp. Selecting her next target, she flipped back the cover on the polished metal dish she was holding. It beamed the fire's light with deadly accuracy. Another predator tumbled from the sky. As it crashed to earth, something leaped to avoid it. Grasseed narrowed her eyes. The army didn't have any species that small.

Loki went down with a cry as a red flare lit up his face. Ryatzi might have turned in time had he been in better shape. The light hit him from the side, and he collapsed on the ground.

Sethral whipped her wings up in time to block a flash aimed at her. "Silver, don't look back!" she shouted. The cat obeyed. Stumbling on her bleeding forelegs, Sethral tried to follow her, wing shield still uplifted. She might have made it to safety, but there was more than one dish.

Cross was dropped from the sky on his way to the spires. Chase dove forwards and took two shots meant for Silversand; the cat made it to the rocks with Whipper and was told to hide. Jay managed to shield himself long enough to reach Chase, but got hit on the way back. Wing dragged him to safety.

Ryatzi managed to grab Loki and drag him for several copper-lengths, navigating by wind alone, but four consecutive flashes were too much even through closed eyes. He fell again. Sethral was trapped, unable to shield herself from all four angles and scarcely able to walk.